Ducks’ winning streak comes to an end against Sidney Crosby, Penguins

Share this:

The Penguins’ Patric Hornqvist cannot get his stick on the puck in front of Ducks goaltender John Gibson as the Ducks’ Cam Fowler helps defend during the first period of Thursday’s game in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

Anaheim Ducks’ Ryan Getzlaf (15) goes after the puck in the corner with Pittsburgh Penguins’ Sam Lafferty (37) during the second period of an NHL hockey game in Pittsburgh, Thursday, Oct. 10, 2019. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

Anaheim Ducks’ Ondrej Kase returns to the bench after scoring during the second period of an NHL hockey game against the Pittsburgh Penguins in Pittsburgh, Thursday, Oct. 10, 2019. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

The Penguins’ Patric Hornqvist cannot get his stick on the puck in front of Ducks goaltender John Gibson as the Ducks’ Cam Fowler helps defend during the first period of Thursday’s game in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

Penguins goaltender Matt Murray (30) blocks a shot during the first period of Thursday’s game against the Ducks in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

Pittsburgh Penguins’ Sidney Crosby (87) returns to the bench after assisting on a Jake Guentzel goal during the third period of an NHL hockey game against the Anaheim Ducks in Pittsburgh, Thursday, Oct. 10, 2019. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender Matt Murray (30) celebrates a 2-1 win over the Anaheim Ducks with Jake Guentzel (59) at the end of the third period of an NHL hockey game in Pittsburgh, Thursday, Oct. 10, 2019. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

PITTSBURGH — Maybe if Sidney Crosby wasn’t such a wizard with the puck on his stick blade, or maybe if the Ducks had stayed out of the penalty box in the second period, or maybe if they had done more with their own power play, then maybe – just maybe – they would still be undefeated.

The Ducks found themselves locked in another nerve-jangling game to start the season on Thursday, with scoring at a premium and a razor-thin margin for error. They pulled out three victories in similar circumstances, but a fourth eluded them as they fell to the Pittsburgh Penguins 2-1.

Crosby scored one goal and assisted on another, shouldering a heavy burden for the injury-depleted Penguins, who were without Evgeni Malkin and four other regulars. Ondrej Kase scored the lone Ducks’ goal, which pulled them into a 1-1 tie early in the second period.

Crosby then set up Jake Guentzel for the tiebreaking goal 7:24 into the third.

Ducks goaltender John Gibson made 26 saves in his Pittsburgh homecoming, but he had zero chance to stop Crosby’s deft deflection of a perimeter shot with the Penguins on a power play or Guentzel’s laser from point-blank range after Crosby’s pass into the slot.

“Every one of our games has been tight so far,” Ducks coach Dallas Eakins said. “I don’t expect that to change. We’re going to have to learn, or keep learning, how to get out on top in these games. Tonight, the recipe was you can’t play 12 minutes short(handed) and get enough goals to score.”

The Ducks killed off five of six short-handed situations, including a 5-on-3 for 1:01. Crosby’s power-play strike was the first they had given up this season. The Penguins further won the game within the game by blanking the Ducks’ power play on three tries, dropping them to 0 for 9 overall.

As in victories over the Coyotes, Sharks and Red Wings, the Ducks didn’t lack for chances.

“We’ve had a lot of good looks and a lot of opportunities to score,” Ducks center Ryan Getzlaf said of the power play. “When your power play is getting frustrated, that’s when it’s time to worry. Right now, we’re working hard. We’re moving the puck around. We’ve just got to put it in the net.”

With only nine goals in four games, the Ducks are averaging a little more than two per game. Nine different players have scored, with Kase becoming the ninth Thursday with a game-tying snipe past Pittsburgh goalie Matt Murray, only 30 seconds after Crosby’s goal.

The Ducks did themselves no favors by marching the penalty box four times in the second period. They killed off three of four, but while they were locked in a 1-1 tie with the Penguins, every trip to the box blunted any momentum they had generated leading up to the penalty.

Murray made 31 saves by game’s end, some routine and some of the unusual variety, including one remarkable denial of Ducks left wing Rickard Rakell in the third that sailed over the goalie’s right shoulder and then directly down the back of his jersey.

“Obviously, we haven’t scored that many goals,” Ducks right wing Jakob Silfverberg said. “Maybe it’s one of those things that if you get one maybe you get that snowball effect going. At the same time, I think we have had chances, but we just haven’t found the back of the net. I don’t why.

“I think we did some good things tonight. … Hopefully, we get the snowball going here.”

DUCKS SIGN GROULX

Earlier in the day, the Ducks signed Benoit-Olivier Groulx to a three-season, $2.775-million entry-level contract. Groulx, a 19-year-old center who was their second-round draft pick in 2018, returned to his junior-level team, the Halifax Mooseheads of the QMJHL, to start the season.

Elliott Teaford covers the Anaheim Ducks for the Orange County Register and the Southern California News Group. He covered the Ducks for 12 years, including the Stanley Cup season, for the Los Angeles Times and the Daily Breeze before returning to the beat in 2018 for SCNG. He also covered the Lakers for five seasons, including their back-to-back NBA championships in 2009 and '10. He once made a jump shot over future Utah Jazz center Mark Eaton during a pickup game in 1980 at Cypress College.

Join the Conversation

We invite you to use our commenting platform to engage in insightful conversations about issues in our community. Although we do not pre-screen comments, we reserve the right at all times to remove any information or materials that are unlawful, threatening, abusive, libelous, defamatory, obscene, vulgar, pornographic, profane, indecent or otherwise objectionable to us, and to disclose any information necessary to satisfy the law, regulation, or government request. We might permanently block any user who abuses these conditions.

If you see comments that you find offensive, please use the “Flag as Inappropriate” feature by hovering over the right side of the post, and pulling down on the arrow that appears. Or, contact our editors by emailing moderator@scng.com.